House of Keys
The House of Keys is a legislative body of the Hartheran government. Its members are called Keymen or Clavigers, membership consisting of heads of government boards and committees, as well as representatives from the nation's cities and regions.
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Membership
There are approximately 800 members of the Keys, though in practice only a few hundred attend at any one time. Members include representatives of the cities and regions, as well as appointed chairs of various boards and courts.
Claviger representatives are chosen by local election. However there are strict qualifications to be an elector, requiring electors to be a certain age, and have a certain level of wealth or land ownership. Therefore poor regions have fewer clavigers, while richer regions have more. The entire province of Gedoq for example only has two clavigers, while the city of Harlon has four.
Keymen are supposed to represent the mercantile class, traditional aristocrats being barred from standing. However, in practice candidates must approval be a small group of local grandees, so most keymen only stay in power subject to the patronage of the elite.
Qualifications for electorship are decided by an electoral subcommittee, who ensure that the views of either the wealthy or the middle classes prevail, depending on the current political climate.
History
The House was originally established during the Commonwealth, under a statute that the house could only assemble when called by the King, and assemblies could only be dismissed by the king. Historically kings called annual assemblies which sat for a few months, usually to debate local and national matters or to levy taxation.
After the fall of the Commonwealth, subsequent Overlords tried to abolish the House of Keys. However, legally they did not have the power to do so, since only Kings could dissolve the assembly. As such, the House of Keys has stayed assembled for nearly four centuries.
Originally the Keys met in the Old City in Vahltor, either within the Royal Palace, or in the Basilica of Holy Hart. After the fall of the Commonwealth they met in various locations, until the agreement in the 9th century to construct a dedicated building. Clefdn House is on the southwest side of Navy Plaza, linked to the Bireilundt by Navy Arch.